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Halo |OT9| One Final Effort Is All That Remains

cR bans are given out for any Banhammer-related infraction. I got one a while ago in Reach for suiciding in FF Limited when some friends and I were trying to grab a particular map. Your first one lasts 24 hours.

I got one in 3 for non-playing guests right after the TU2 launched. 2 week EXP ban (we were trying to get the Alas, Poor Yorik! achievement which required Oddball on a Legendary map, so we gathered a full party to search in multi-team, which had the highest probability of Oddball).
 
Fun fact: early on in Halo 3 FFA achievements were so ridiculous you could commonly find achievement boosting lobbies completely made up of average, randomly-matched people in Lone Wolves without any prior setup.
 

Domino Theory

Crystal Dynamics
Do you guys think the DMR or the Light Rifle is a better choice for a team-oriented, defensive loadout? I'm trying to figure out that specific loadout.

I've played a ton with both and I'm thinking DMR since I'm more comfortable with it, but the Light Rifle's 4SK-when-scoped is tempting.

As for the AA in said loadout, Regen or Sentry? With all my time on Halo 4, I only used PromVision and Thruster. Sometimes I didn't use any of them because I'm a Sprint-only guy in Reach so having Sprint by default in Halo 4 kind of made me ignore AA usage at times.
 
Pretty much anywhere on High Charity. Love that place.
I'll try to grab some screens when I get to that part of the game.

Fun fact: early on in Halo 3 FFA achievements were so ridiculous you could commonly find achievement boosting lobbies completely made up of average, randomly-matched people in Lone Wolves without any prior setup.
That's how I got mine.

Me in the pre-game lobby: "Hey, you guys want to get the Lone Wolves achievements?"

Everyone else: "Yeah, okay."
 

Oozer3993

Member
Fun fact: early on in Halo 3 FFA achievements were so ridiculous you could commonly find achievement boosting lobbies completely made up of average, randomly-matched people in Lone Wolves without any prior setup.

Go to Xbox Settings blade. Change system language to "Chinese." Boot up Halo 3, search in Lone Wolves. Profit.
 

TCKaos

Member
Do you guys think the DMR or the Light Rifle is a better choice for a team-oriented, defensive loadout? I'm trying to figure out that specific loadout.

I've played a ton with both and I'm thinking DMR since I'm more comfortable with it, but the Light Rifle's 4SK-when-scoped is tempting.

As for the AA in said loadout, Regen or Sentry? With all my time on Halo 4, I only used PromVision and Thruster. Sometimes I didn't use any of them because I'm a Sprint-only guy in Reach so having Sprint by default in Halo 4 kind of made me ignore AA usage at times.

I'd say Light Rifle for that 4sk at range. Sentry to help you speed up any kills at closer range. Bolt Shot for clean up and to take down enemies at close range.
 
Yeah my bad Barlow, mongo didn't have the maps and we haven't played together for a while but seemed like you had a full party so :]
It is good we had 8-10 people most of the time.

Sorry guys, had to leave.

Good luck with the rest of the achievements you need.

Thanks for the help!

Sorry I had to leave too; I'm glad to be done with them to be honest. The playlists don't lend themselves well to achievements.
 

Tashi

343i Lead Esports Producer
It looks like an armor ability icon frozen in place because of laaaaaaaaaag. I have sometimes lost the ability to sprint for a whole lifespan with similar behavior.

It's part of the MLG settings actually. When Sprint was in, you were unable to sprint until 5 seconds have passed. Sprint worked for initial spawn though.
 
You know what, this looks great. I don't even care about what's different or what was taken from CoD or what's gone or whatever anymore, this looks amazing. I'm sick of being negative and critical of every little thing, and this looks great, and I'll take any change for whatever reason to get away from the mess of a game that was Reach. I don't care if that makes me Team SLRP or whatever dumb label but I really want to love playing Halo again and based on everything I've seen of this game I will. 343, this is perfect, don't change anything. Unless you want to, I guess, I don't care it looks great. Just make it great, it looks like you are though so just keep that up I guess.
That's awesome. But there is no need to justify your feelings. Just be true to yourself mang.
cliche' i know.
I'm happy for everyone that is excited about the game, and I'm accepting of the people that are highly skeptical, even negative. Halogaf seems to have a problem doing this, though. And before anyone goes back and digs up one of my old posts like a tool to try and shame me, I'll admit I've been guilty numerous times of doing the same in the past. Back on topic, I'm not ready to concede anything about Halo 4 until i actually play it for myself and that for an extended period of time. So for now I'll remain in the skeptical category. I think parts of the game look great. However, if I don't enjoy the game any more than I did with Halo 3 it will be a letdown. Been waiting far too long for something to rekindle the Halo1/2 spirit.
 
Here is a rough draft of my write-up. I meant for this to be posted closer to the end of PAX, but just didn't have the time. Some of it is almost irrelevant at this point, but I thought I'd put it out there anyway.

How Does it Play?

At its core Halo 4 handles well, it is a smooth experience and it presents a sense of predictability. Everything works as you would expect, which is essential if a game is to thrive. More importantly, I never felt like the I was punished for some questionable mechanic, I was punished for my mistakes and my poor choices.

Halo 4 improves on Reach's responsiveness and player feedback and at the same time feels closer to the original trilogy in terms of player movement. The HUD in Halo 4 is fairly busy, but not intrusive. The HUD does a great job of informing the player about almost anything, things such as abilities, objectives and weapons/vehicles on map are clearly and effectively indicated. I think that these elements actually speed up the game and keep the intensity up, so for players who tend to forget that you've only used 2 of your 4 rockets or don't understand what to do with the flag, fear not.

One gripe I have with how the game informs the player is how frequent the announcer is used. He seems to announce almost every action (exaggeration). Hopefully it doesn't get to the point where he starts announcing yards sprinted.

Sprinting is now a default player trait. This means that ever player has sprint as well as an armor ability. There are a few aspects of Halo 4 that don't make sprint feel like a game breaking mechanic. When sprinting you know slow down considerably when taking shots. This hopefully gives the advantage to players who use their weapon over a player who uses the sprint melee combo. It also seems the the maps now accommodate sprint as being default. Small to medium maps seem a little bigger than in past games. They aren't drastically bigger, but extra space is given for the player to maneuver.

Another change in Halo 4 is how the player is handled when in scope. You are no longer knocked out of scope when shot at, instead you have to deal with kick back and you have to adjust your aim accordingly. I found that I spent more time dealing with the games mechanics and less time with the physical mechanics of a controller, which was welcomed. Gun fights were more focused and less frustrating, but you still had to work to keep your reticule on your oppnent.

Weapons, whether UNSC, Covenant or Forerunner all have their uses. Nothing feels completely irrelevant, rather, each weapon has its own unique identity has a role. I really didn't try to avoid certain weapons and I never felt that any of the weapons I picked up were useless. Some returning weapons may even surprise you, such as the Needler. As a weapon I used to classify in the “I think I can” or “It's the effort that counts” category, is now bordering on power weapon status. Seriously, pick that thing up!

Grenades are another important part of the Halo equation. Grenades are tuned so that they don't become a tool that players can rely on for kills. Grenade damage is closer to that of Halo 3 and grenade placement requires more precision. These simple changes encourage players to use grenades appropriately and not to spam them in hope of a single kill. By default, you cannot pick up any players dropped grenades, which lessened the amount of grenades being flung around.

Forerunner Weapons are Good for Your Health.

Typically a Halo game introduces a few new weapons and/or tweaks pre-existing weapons. With Halo 4 there are several new additions. It was sure interesting seeing how a whole new weapon class would fit into the already large sandbox.

The Promethean Repeater sits alongside the UNSC Assault Rifle and the Covenant Storm Rifle. Like the UNSC and Covenant assault variants, the Repeater feels a great deal more powerful than the automatic weapons on previous Halo games.

The Light Rifle was probably the biggest surprise in terms of weapons. The weapons has dual firing modes. Out of scope it is similar to the Battle Rifle, it is a burst weapon and takes 5 shots to kill an opponent. In-scope it works almost like the DMR, a single shot weapon, but unlike the DMR it is only 4 shots to kill.

It may make the DMR and BR seem irrelevant, but it doesn't. It seemed that the Light Rifle had a slower rate of fire when out of scope and an even slower rate of fire when scoped. So it does have its trade-offs.

The Incinerator Cannon was the only Forerunner weapon that I didn't have hands on time with, however I did witness it being used a few times. It is definitely similar to the rocket launcher, but it looks like it had a greater area of effect. After the initial explosion a few smaller particles are dispersed that create smaller explosions within a certain radius. I witnessed a few people kill themselves because of the splash damage, this baby is lethal. I overheard talk that the residual explosive particles are actually physics based, so you better be aware of your surroundings--I'm talking about teammate killing prone players. In fact, I believe one such community manager might want to take note.

The Binary Shot is the Forerunner equivalent of the sniper. I shot this weapon once, though a satisfying shot it was. My time was so brief with the weapon that I really can't comment on how it handles, though out of scope the reticule seemed bigger than a shotgun and the ammo clip was shallow. Just know that my opponent was greeted with a “Snaphot” and that he slowly disintegrated right before my eyes. Heck, I'm not going to lie, I felt sorry for whoever was on the receiving end.

The Boltshot is the Forerunner pistol with a dual firing modes. The standard firing mode works similarly to the UNSC pistol, but it shoots much faster and may be a little weaker overall. The nicest aspect of the weapon is when you hold the trigger to allow the Bolshot to charge. Like the plasma pistol, you can charge the Bolshot up for a more powerful shot. Unlike the Plasma Pistol, the player isn't able to hold the charge, it automatically fires. This means that you really have to be careful and confident with you charged shots when using this weapon. I definitely took a liking to this weapon.

The Scattershot is pretty well known by now. It works like a shotgun, but allows you the bank projectiles off surfaces. Since E3 the weapon seems to have been toned down. Much to my dismay, it seemed considerably weaker. Still, it is one of the more satisfying weapons in the game and can provide some interesting moments.


Abilities For Your Armor

Armor abilities have been cause for concern for Halo multiplayer and rightfully so. When I look at the landscape of Reach there are several underlying problems that detract from what is otherwise a very good game, but the one that is most apparent is the inclusion of armor abilities, or at least how they were implemented.


Let's talk about each Amor Ability individually...

Thruster Pack is the perfect tool for quickly getting out of the enemies sight lines, strafing and avoiding grenades. Since E3, the thruster pack has been changed to third person, which better communicates the distance traveled. The Thruster AA would be better suited on smaller maps with more complicated geometry allowing a player to quickly drop in and out of combat.

Promethean Vision has been causing much concern amongst fans, but I still maintain that it isn't as useful as many believe. In fact, I found that Promethean vision was a great ability to help you learn the layout of a map, but in combat scenarios against skilled players it didn't provide any significant advantage, especially for players who are used to using motion trackers and have any situational awareness. One neat aspect of Promethean Vision is that a player could use his battlefield awareness to callout enemies players on the map, a support role.

Something I recently discovered was that your motion tracker will in fact inform you if an enemy player is using Promethean vision by displaying an expanding red wave. Some changes I noticed include faster drain and longer recharge. It also seemed to have a cool down even if you didn't drain the entire AA meter.

Jetpack performs similarly to Reach's jetpack, which is unfortunate. Jetpack was the most frustrating armor ability for me to deal with. It greatly nullified map design and combat flow. While it does seem to have less juice when compared with Reach, it still provides an unsettling height advantage. I was actually hoping that jetpack would return as a jump-pack, similar to a double jump, a vertical thruster pack if you will.

One thing I would like to see implemented it some sort of mechanic that makes shooting less precise for someone jetpacking high in the air.

There isn't much to say about Hard Light Shield, it works like a shield it does drains fairly quickly and can only take so much damage. In terms of countering this ability, the hitbox is still very vulnerable to attack, well placed grenade/shots will do the job. The only annoyance I found was how fast you were able to equip it. It does slow the gameplay down a little, but it doesn't come to a grinding halt.

Regen Field is certainly not as strong as it was in Halo 3. I caught a few players trying to deploy it right before they died, sorry, not going to work. First of all it takes a while to deploy, second if you're one or two shots away from death, Regen is going to be enough to prevent that from happening, you're going to die. I see the Regen AA as a great support AA that would be useful for defending objectives. Regen also seemed to push nearby enemies away.

I used Auto-Sentry once, but didn't really have enough time to experiment with it. It didn't seem to have that much range though. Like Regen, Auto-Sentry seems to be more of a defensive AA, it certainly isn't an ability you can rely on for kills.

Hologram is very similar to Hologram in Reach, though I found it to be more effective in Halo 4. Now when you shoot a Hologram your reticule turns red and hit markers appear making the fake Spartan a little more believable.

I never encountered the invisibility armor ability being used during my time with Halo 4.

Tactical and Support Packages

These modifications allow you to further customize your spartan, but don't expect these mods to be game changing. The packages simply compliment the way in which you choose to engage in combat.

Where I really see these modifications taking form is on a team level. On an individual basis these mods don't feel too threatening, but when you start coordinating player roles for your team, these packages come in handy. The main slayer of the team might chose ordnance priority or the ability that allows you to carry two primary weapons. A support player who stays further back might pick extra ammo and sensor for better team callouts. The combinations are fairly robust and should provide some interesting dynamics.
There are some concerns such as unlimited sprint. Couple that with the thruster armor ability and the sword and you might have an issue.


New Map, Returning Vehicles...

I haven't enjoyed Halo's Big Team Battle offerings in a while. I would attribute this lack of interest mainly to map design.
What I liked about Exile was how the map was compartmentalized into sections of encounter. Instances where a player has to fight multiple battles from various sections of the map were few. The map allowed for smaller more intimate encounters that took place within a larger battle. That isn't to say you can't find those larger encounters, but there are enough alternate routes and cover to allow a player to pick and choose their firefights.

I did encounter a few problems on the map, specifically spawns. There were too many instances where someone in a Banshee or Scorpion could simply sit at a base and pick off players who had just spawned.

I myself never hoped in a Banshee or Scorpion, but I did notice a few changes just from watching other players.

The Scorpion shoots a much slower moving projectile that seems to do less damage when compared to Reach. The Banshee seemed to be less powerful too, I also noticed that the Banshee's aerial combat rolls/flips were slowed when compared to Reach. Grid-lock!


Thoughts on Flag

I found that the new CTF mode not only speeds up CTF, but it also encouraged greater focus on the objective. Players seemed to naturally coalesce around controlling capture points, escorting and defending. For the more hardcore player, this all seems obvious. Now Imagine that the PAX Halo 4 booth was like the matchmaking lobby, mostly random people, without mics and playing together for the first time, yet somehow each game of CTF I played went very smoothly. Both teams were continuously trying to control portions of the map and counter capture. I would attribute some of the focus to the added on screen icons and visual indicators, but it has to be said that players were automatically organizing who would be the flag carrier and the appropriate times to pull the flag.

There is an an extreme sense of risk and reward presented in the new CTF mode. It seemed that players were a little more cautious about their actions and the state of the battlefield. I'm not advocating that the new CTF mode completely replace the current model, but I did find some interesting aspects that the new mode presented.
 
and will CTF traits carry over.

It's hard enough getting people to pick up the bomb, walking around slowly while everybody runs around the map playing Slayer and having fun. Now you get to walk around slowly with a PLEASE KILL ME sign above your head at all times.
 

Nowise10

Member
In preparation for Halo 4, I taped some Black bars on the Top and Bottom of my TV so I'll be ready at launch

3xpmt.jpg
 

BLAZER

Member
So whats the word Frank.

Are you guys planning a halo 2 remake for both the current 360 and its predecessor for next year or 2014? Was halo anniversary a remake success in your eyes which has opened the door for a halo 2 remake? Lastly, if it happens, will the cut level be implemented?

Congrats so far in your company's endeavor.
 

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
Frank, David, I need seafood. Ship me some salmon to Iowa for my bagels. I went out this morning and the fancy place had salmon with a bagel and I got super excited based on my lox bagel enjoyment in Seattle, they then had the gal to tell me that the salmon on said bagel was cooked fully.

Send me delicious fish. I'll trade you an entire cow or pig.
I don't have either of those things
 

FyreWulff

Member
About to start my Halo 2 Vista playthrough. Would anybody like to see 1080p screenshots of any particular areas?

I remember running into a random during the Revenge weekly in Grifball, I just teabagged the ground in front of him and he somehow figured out that I wanted to trade kills for revenges over and over.

Not a single word or message was sent between us and we just walked off to the sides and traded kills consistently for the rest of the game.

I like randoms that know what's up
 
Been waiting far too long for something to rekindle the Halo1/2 spirit.

I love you. Halo 3/Reach only lasted a few solid months for me. Halo 3 though I kept going back to whenever I didn't have anything else to play (even though it bored the shit out of me (except Team Elite Valhalla CTF lol)).

and will CTF traits carry over.

I swear.. If there is a KILL waypoint over the bomb guy's head...........

And nice write-up bigz.
 

nillapuddin

Member
i am awestruck by the lack of black screen in these Flood videos, like I literally man-giggle everytime

its so smoothly done
bravo 343, bravo
 
Looking at the Zune (Xbox Music?) marketplace, it seems that the digital version of the soundtrack will be available. I also see an entry for the remix album.

I'm pumped - the remix album is surprisingly good.
 

feel

Member
Going straight from a session of CSGO on kb/m at 120fps to Halo 3 on a gamepad at 30fps is rough as hell. Daamn. Second game was The Pit and carried my team with a +14 to an almost win. Map is so good that even full of control awkwardness I was having so much fun.

edit- a few games later and I'm adjusted to it (30fps and controller aiming), it only sucks really hard at first. Bring on Halo 4!! Will make sure to not play PC games on the week leading up to it so it feels perfect.
 

FyreWulff

Member
If Multi Team is around after Halo 3's final update (if it actually happens) they should make it stop splitting teams. So annoying when me and bobs try to go in as a party of 2 and we got split anyway.
 

Ramirez

Member
So whats the word Frank.

Are you guys planning a halo 2 remake for both the current 360 and its predecessor for next year or 2014? Was halo anniversary a remake success in your eyes which has opened the door for a halo 2 remake? Lastly, if it happens, will the cut level be implemented?

Congrats so far in your company's endeavor.

sululaugh.gif


I'd say Frank has already PM'd you a response at this point.
 
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